HEAD’S LES­SON FOR THE PUSHY PAR­ENT

‘Don’t be­lieve naughty kids’

A HEAD­TEACHER has slammed “over­pro­tec­tive” par­ents who come to their child’s de­fence ev­ery time they are told off.

Bruce Grind­lay said that teach­ers had stopped dis­ci­plin­ing chil­dren as it is too “time con­sum­ing”.

He wrote a letter to par­ents at the £21,405-a-year Sut­ton Va­lence prep school in Kent, say­ing: “Please can I ask you to not al­ways be­lieve your child’s ver­sion of events? I am writ­ing to ask that you do not im­me­di­ately chal­lenge staff who have seen fit to raise a be­havioural con­cern or im­pose a sanction on your child.

“It has be­come an is­sue for staff and some are pre­fer­ring not to sanction a child for fear of time-con­sum­ing and un­pleas­ant reper­cus­sions.”

One par­ent took to Twit­ter to praise the letter and at­ti­tude from the head of the school in Maid­stone.

Toby Payne-Cook said: “The delu­sion of over­pro­tec­tive par­ents can hugely sti­fle the good in­ten­tions of a school. Great letter. Great school. Great lead­er­ship. Thank you.”

Pri­mary school head Jamie Nairn said: “To­tally agree with this letter.”

The Star Says: Page 6 ®

A PO­LAR ex­plorer has hit out at the “health and safety” cul­ture, say­ing chil­dren need to get hurt to grow up prop­erly.

Cap­tain Louis Rudd, 49, be­came the first Brit to walk un­aided across Antarc­tica. He said: “Chil­dren from a young age re­ally are wrapped in cot­ton wool. They learn from tak­ing a tum­ble here and there.”